Historique
Article de Périodique
The availability and depiction of synthetic cathinones (bath salts) on the Internet: Do online suppliers employ features to maximize purchases? (2015)
Auteur(s) :
MEYERS, K. ;
KAYNAK, O. ;
BRESANI, E. ;
CURTIS, B. ;
MCNAMARA, A. ;
BROWNFIELD, K. ;
KIRBY, K. C.
Année :
2015
Page(s) :
670-674
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
MAR (Marchés / Markets)
Thésaurus géographique
ETATS-UNIS
Thésaurus mots-clés
CATHINONES
;
DROGUES DE SYNTHESE
;
DIFFUSION DES PRODUITS
;
INTERNET
;
COMMERCE
;
VENTE
;
MARCHE DE LA DROGUE
;
MARKETING
Note générale :
Analyse en français dans la Revue Internationale de Criminologie et de Police Technique et Scientifique, Vol.68, n°3, p. 379-380.
Résumé :
Background: "Bath salts", a derivative of cathinone, a naturally occurring beta-ketone amphetamine analogue found in the leaves of the khat (Catha edulis) plant, is a potent class of designer drugs associated with significant medical and psychiatric consequences. They are commonly used among 20-29 year olds, a group with easy access to the Internet and an inclination to purchase online. Therefore, the Internet has the potential to play a significant role in the distribution and associated consequences of these "legal highs".
Methods: Google searches were used to determine bath salts availability on retail websites and how different search terms affected the proportion of retail websites obtained. Retail websites were reviewed by two independent raters who examined content with a focus on characteristics that increase the likelihood of online sales.
Results: Of the 250 websites found, 31 were unique retail websites. Most retail website hits resulted when a product name was used as the search term. The top three countries hosting retail websites were registered in the United States (n = 14; 45%), Germany (n = 7; 23%), and the United Kingdom (n = 3; 10%). These online drug suppliers provided considerable information and purchasing choice about a variety of synthetic cathinones, legitimized their sites by using recognizable images, online chat features, and mainstream payment and shipping methods, and employed characteristics that promote online purchases.
Conclusion: Online designer drug suppliers use sophisticated methods to market unregulated products to consumers. The international community has taken diverse approaches to address designer drugs: legislative bans, harm reduction approaches, an interim regulated legal market. Multifaceted efforts that target bath salt users, suppliers, and emergency/poison control entities are critical to comprehensively address bath salt ingestion and its consequences.
Highlights:
Thirty-one online websites sell bath salts, an illegal class of designer drugs.
Forty-five percent of these websites are hosted in the US.
Online websites use recognizable security, payment and shipping images/methods.
The international community uses varied approaches to address designer drugs.
Businesses have the potential to augment governmental efforts.
Methods: Google searches were used to determine bath salts availability on retail websites and how different search terms affected the proportion of retail websites obtained. Retail websites were reviewed by two independent raters who examined content with a focus on characteristics that increase the likelihood of online sales.
Results: Of the 250 websites found, 31 were unique retail websites. Most retail website hits resulted when a product name was used as the search term. The top three countries hosting retail websites were registered in the United States (n = 14; 45%), Germany (n = 7; 23%), and the United Kingdom (n = 3; 10%). These online drug suppliers provided considerable information and purchasing choice about a variety of synthetic cathinones, legitimized their sites by using recognizable images, online chat features, and mainstream payment and shipping methods, and employed characteristics that promote online purchases.
Conclusion: Online designer drug suppliers use sophisticated methods to market unregulated products to consumers. The international community has taken diverse approaches to address designer drugs: legislative bans, harm reduction approaches, an interim regulated legal market. Multifaceted efforts that target bath salt users, suppliers, and emergency/poison control entities are critical to comprehensively address bath salt ingestion and its consequences.
Highlights:
Thirty-one online websites sell bath salts, an illegal class of designer drugs.
Forty-five percent of these websites are hosted in the US.
Online websites use recognizable security, payment and shipping images/methods.
The international community uses varied approaches to address designer drugs.
Businesses have the potential to augment governmental efforts.
Affiliation :
Treatment Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Cote :
Abonnement